Why Joe Root is bound to fail yet again in Australia during the Ashes 2025-26

Aakash Saini

Joe Root [Source: AFP Photo]Joe Root [Source: AFP Photo]

The Ashes in Australia have always tested even the greatest of English batters. For Joe Root, it represents unfinished business and familiar torment. As another Ashes chapter beckons ‘Down Under’, Root faces the daunting task of rewriting a story that has long eluded redemption.

Boasting a staggering tally of 39 Test hundreds, including four Ashes tons; the legendary England cricketer has not recorded a single triple-digit score in Australia, thus marking a void that continues to haunt an otherwise celebrated career.

For all we know, Joe Root might very well be on his way to another torrid Ashes outing in the upcoming 2025-26 series, unless the seasoned pro finally finds a way to conquer his long-standing Australian jinx.

Nonetheless, ahead of the return of the Ashes to Australian shores, we examine the key factors that could once again hinder Joe Root’s success in the land of pace and bounce.

Haunted by past demons in Australia

Joe Root made his Test debut back in December 2012 in India. Less than a year later, the then 23-year-old was on his first Ashes flight to Australia in a famed English group comprising of the likes of captain Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell and blistering wicketkeeper-batter Matt Prior.

The result? England crashed and burned in a Mitchell Johnson-fuelled nightmare, as the hosts unleashed a historic 5-0 demolition job that soon brought several illustrious careers to an abrupt end. A young Joe Root himself was one of the victims of the Australian onslaught, as the baby-faced Yorkshire lad accrued just 192 runs in eight innings of the series at a modest average of 27.42, which included a fighting 87 in a single innings of the Adelaide Test.

Joe Root during 2013-14 Ashes series in Australia

Criterion
Stats
Matches4
Innings8
Runs192
Average27.42
50s/100s1/0
Highest87

Four years and 60 Test caps later, Root returned to Australia for the 2017-18 Ashes, albeit this time as one of the mainstays of England’s batting. His form improved, as the cricketer punched out five fifties in five Tests as part of his 378-run tally at an average of nearly 50. However, each of those five half-centuries lacked impact as England succumbed to a 0-4 drubbing.

Throughout late 2021 and early 2022, story remain largely unchanged, only this time, Joe Root was captain. He mustered 322 runs in 10 innings at an average of 32.20, as England slumped to yet another 0-4 Ashes defeat, with their lone salvation from the tour being a tense one-wicket draw at the SCG.

So, to sum up Joe Root’s Test career in Australia, the storied Englishman has played 14 Tests, tasted crushing defeats in 11 of them, and has no individual centuries or match-winning half-centuries to his name.

Joe Root Test record - in Australia vs Overall

Criterion
in Australia
Overall
Matches14158
Innings27288
Runs89213,543
Average35.6851.29
50s/100s9/0
66/39
Highest89262

Three failed Test trips in the span of over a decade may well have turned Australia into a psychological battleground for Joe Root. Even as he takes centre stage in the upcoming 2025-26 Ashes series with over 13,000 Test runs and a prolific batting average of 51.29 to his credit, the lingering memories of past failures will surely test his resolve and reputation once again.


Australia’s fierce quartet’s final Ashes roar at home (possibly)

In all likelihood, the upcoming series will also mark the final Ashes roar at home for one of Australia’s greatest bowling quartets. The likes of Mitchell Starc (35 and touching 36), captain Pat Cummins (32), Josh Hazlewood (34 and nearing 35) and Nathan Lyon (38) have all been the cornerstone of Australia’s dominance for over a decade, compounding in numerous series wins (both home and away) and a World Test Championship (WTC) title.

However, factors like age, workload and the rise of next generation of bowlers suggest their reign at home is nearing its final chapter, at least for the Ashes, considering Australia is expected to host England next in 2029-30.

For the veteran quartet, this series offers a golden opportunity to script yet another Ashes glory on home soil. One can expect that this champion set will be eager to reaffirm their legacy with a dominant farewell performance before passing the torch to the next generation.

Moreover, each of the four aforementioned bowling maestros hold a formidable track record against longtime English rival and fellow ageing veteran Joe Root. Pat Cummins himself has dismissed Root 14 times in international cricket, including 11 times in Tests. Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc have gotten the better of the Englishman 10 and 8 times respectively in the format, while legendary off-spinner Nathan Lyon has deceived him on eight occasions across all their Ashes meetings.

Here is how Joe Root has fared against the likes of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon.

Joe Root in Tests against Australia’s Fantastic Four

Joe Root
vs Pat Cummins
vs Mitchell Starc
vs Josh Hazlewood
vs Nathan Lyon
Runs286349314439
Balls536630600841
Dismissals118108
Average26.043.631.454.9


A battle beyond form

At the age of nearly 35, Joe Root is at a stage of his career where his challenges in Australia extend far beyond any technique or form. It has now become a test of temperament, of whether the legendary English batter can overcome the scars of three bruising Ashes tours and rise above Australia’s psychological hold over him.

The 2025-26 Ashes Test series is not just another mere chapter to Joe Root’s storied 158-match career; it is his battleground for redemption, as he sets out to prove himself as England’s ultimate man for all seasons, in all conditions.